ANalysis of Lesson Expectations and Demands
This table is an analysis of the various language demands of a Grade 3 Science lesson. The lesson I used for this analysis is part 4 of a seven-part unit plan created by Aboriginal Access to Engineering, Queen’s University (see link above). Students read a book as a class (“We’re Going to be Civil Engineers”), test structures against various forces, and then take feedback and questions from their peers.
I found this to be a really useful exercise, especially determining the key vocabulary and possible language structures that students need to be able to use to be successful during the lesson. I think what stood out to me is the fact that when teaching lessons like this it’s important to reinforce and repeat the vocabulary and model it while explaining the task to emphasize the importance of it more explicitly. The language structures are especially important to model because students might be less inclined to use the new vocabulary if they aren’t shown how to do so. Because of this exercise, I would definitely consider regularly making a clear list of vocabulary, and language goals to get an idea of where students might struggle and how best to help them.
This is a graphic showing an overview of my inquiry into the topic of effectiveness of error correction during oral feedback. My guiding questions were fairly straightforward (when and how should we give corrective feedback?), however I didn't find straightforward answer to these questions. This is a complex topic with endless factors that can affect our choices and their effectiveness with different individuals and contexts.
Although I was not able to give simple answers to these questions, I did come out of this inquiry with a better understanding of the options available for correction, and some practical suggestions for how to provide effective feedback during speaking.
In the past I have given oral correction without much reflection, just based on what I happened to do in the moment. Going forward I will use what I've learned in this research to be more deliberate with my feedback and consider the options available ot me.